UH stadium project starting to take shape

﻿Opposing players will one day replace construction workers ﻿in the visitor's tunnel. The concrete slab was poured there this week﻿ for UH's new football stadium.

﻿Opposing players will one day replace construction workers ﻿in the visitor's tunnel. The concrete slab was poured there this week﻿ for UH's new football stadium.

Photo: Nick De La Torre, Staff

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Concrete pillars eventually will support what UH hopes will be a mass of Cougars fans.

Concrete pillars eventually will support what UH hopes will be a mass of Cougars fans.

Photo: Nick De La Torre, Staff

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Construction workers clean and align rebar so it will bond when the concrete is poured.﻿

Construction workers clean and align rebar so it will bond when the concrete is poured.﻿

Photo: Nick De La Torre, Staff

UH stadium project starting to take shape

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As it continues to take shape, the University of Houston's new on-campus football stadium will reach another significant milestone in the coming weeks.

In mid-July, crews working on the $105 million stadium will begin erecting the steel structure that will make up the framework for the upper seating bowl, the most visible sign of progress since construction began in February.

"Once it goes elevated, it changes dramatically," said Matt Doffing, project manager for Manhattan Construction Co. "Within the next couple of months, it's just going to change so dramatically week by week."

Mack Rhoades, UH vice president for intercollegiate athletics, said the 40,000-seat stadium - being built on the former site of Robertson Stadium - remains on schedule. The stadium is scheduled to open Aug. 30, 2014.

"It's actually probably ahead of where I thought it would be at this point and time," he said.

A plan of stages

The first elevated section of the suite level - which will consist of 26 suites from end zone to end zone on the stadium's south side - is currently under construction. The concrete slab for the visitor's tunnel was poured earlier this week.

The home tunnel in the southeast corner, which UH will run through on game days, was started in early February.

The first steel beams will be raised on the east side of the stadium, where the Bert F. Winston Band and Performance Center will be built. The upper bowl, which encompasses roughly half of the stadium's seating capacity, will be completed in October, according to Doffing.

Seats in the upper bowl will not be installed until late March or April to avoid damage.

The construction project also is expected to take off with the completion of the concourse in early August.

The shape of the lower bowl already is visible but must still be lowered 12 feet below street level.

Construction of the lower bowl is expected to last from November through March, followed by the installation of the drainage system for the stadium's artificial surface.

"It's exciting to see that it is finally taking shape and form," Rhoades said. "I'm just excited that our fans, coaches, players and staff are starting to begin to see the reality of the new stadium."

Naming rights up in air

The west side of the stadium, where the scoreboard will be located, has only one deck and is configured to accommodate a 20,000-seat future expansion.

"Yes, there are prospects, but for me to provide a timeline (for a deal) is difficult," he said. "We certainly feel positive, and there's been great interest in the naming rights."

On Friday, UH began installing the sod for one of its two practice fields, located behind the Athletic Alumni Center. A second artificial surface will be installed later this summer and will be ready for the start of fall camp in early August.